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Brand New is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa, released on October 21, 1997, by London Records. The group's international label at the time, Red Ant Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy before the album was officially released. Salt-N-Pepa toured in support of the album, although the album had no other promotion whatsoever. Brand New spawned two singles: "R U Ready" and "Gitty Up". The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 25, 1997.

Brand New
Studio album by Salt-N-Pepa
Released	October 21, 1997 (1997-10-21)
Studio	Axis (New York City)[lower-alpha 1] Quad (New York City)[lower-alpha 2] Soundtrack (New York City)[lower-alpha 3] The Music Palace (West Hempstead, New York)[lower-alpha 4] The Basement, Inc. (Dix Hills, New York)[lower-alpha 5] Tone X Recording (Washington, D.C.)[lower-alpha 6] Record Plant (Los Angeles)[lower-alpha 7] The Hit Factory (New York City)[lower-alpha 8] Chung King (New York City)[lower-alpha 9] AMG (New York City)[lower-alpha 10] Horizon (Capitol Heights, Maryland)[lower-alpha 11] Flyte Tyme (Edina, Minnesota)[lower-alpha 12]
Length	57:27
Label	London
Producer	Sandra "Pepa" Denton Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott Esmail Cheryl "Salt" James Sean "The Mystro" Mather Josef Powell Al West David "D.J." Wynn
Salt-N-Pepa chronology
Very Necessary (1993) Brand New (1997) The Best of Salt-N-Pepa (1999)
Singles from Brand New
"R U Ready" Released: August 29, 1997 "Gitty Up" Released: December 7, 1997

Production

Brand New was the first Salt-N-Pepa album released after the group parted ways with longtime associate Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor.[1] Cheryl James wrote and co-produced more than two thirds of the album.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[5]
Music Week	[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]

Natasha Stovall of Rolling Stone praised the "richer piano-, guitar- and vocal-filled sound, emphasizing gritty soul and sweet, unadulterated funk."[7] Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that the group "still juxtapose catchy come-ons ... and determinedly positive messages."[8] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "while it's commendable that they're stretching out in a more uplifting, spiritually motivated arena, the group's forte is still worldly, raunchy, of-the-flesh fare."[9]

Track listing

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies a co-producer

Samples

• "R U Ready" contains excerpts from "Watch Out" by Brass Construction.
• "Say Ooh" contains a sample from "Turn Off the Lights" by Larry Young.
• "Brand New" contains an interpolation of "Love Is Alive" by Gary Wright.

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Brand New

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10]	186
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11]	64
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12]	23
US Billboard 200[13]	37
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14]	16

Certifications

Certifications for Brand New

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[15]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

References

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